Fire-alarm appliance.



Patented `Jian. I4, B902.

D. 'I'. SPRING & A. LONG.'

FIRE ALARM APPLIANGE.

(Application led Sept. 24. 1901.!

(N0 Model.)

Ail ll THE Norms Firms co. Fnofoajwo.. wAsmNoToN, u. c.

llNirnn Sintes linrniar Ormea.

DANIEL T. SPRING AND ANDREW LONG, OF IVHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA.

FlRwAL/ARM APPLIANCE.

SEEGEEACATEON forming part of Letters Patent No. 691,197, dated. January 14, 1902.

Application tiled September 24, 1901. Serial No. 76,386. (No model-l To L7/Z whom, 'it may er1/tecra:

Be it known that we, DANIEL T. SPRING and ANDREW LONG, citizens of the United States, residing at Wheeling, in the county of Ohio and State of W'est Virginia, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Fire-Alarm Appliances; and we do hereb).7 declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, suoli as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Firealarm systems in general use have stations or boxes at given points, one box for a certain amount of territory, and in case of it becoming necessary to turn in an alarm by a person remote from the box it is incumbent for the person to visit the box. time and, furthermore, prevents the person from rendering valuable aid in saving property and life.

In accordance with this invention a mechanism is combined with the 1irealarm box to automatically turn in the alarm, said mechanism being actuated by a push-button from any desired point. Thus a warehouse, large business place, or other important buildings in a district may be connected with the tirealarm box through the actuating mechanism to enable an alarm being sent in by pressing upon a button.

The improvement consists of the novel features, details of construction, and combinations of parts which hereinafter will be more particularlyset forth, illustrated, and finally claimed.

In the drawings forming a part of this speciication and hereto attached, Figure lis a front view of a lire-alarm box equipped with the invention, the front of the case or box being removed. lEig. 2 is a perspective view of the trip-hook and upper end portion ofthe pull-bar. Fig. 3 is a detail view of a modification, showing the pull-bar provided with an inclined part to press upon a but-ton for tu rning in an alarm.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The {ire-alarm box l may be of any construction, depending upon the system of which it forms a part, and, as shown the alarm This requires.

is turned in by means of a pin 2, arranged to operate in a curved slot 8. For automatically turning in an alarm a trip-hook 4. is provided and is arranged in front ofthe door protecting the parts of the alarm mechanism. The curved end of the trip-hook is arranged in the path of the pin 2, so as to depress the said pin when the trip-hook is pulled downward. A roller 5 is applied to the lower rear end of the trip-hook, and when the pin 2 reaches the lower end of the slot 3 the roller 5 comes in contact with an incline ct at the lower portion ot' the box l and eiiiects a turning of the hook, so as to disengage it from the pin 2, which returns to a normal position in the well-known manner to effect a turning in of an alarm. The triphook 4 is pivotally connected about midway of its ends to the upper end of a pull-bar 6 and norm ally inclines. A glass plate protects the frontside of the box l and is to be broken in the usual way when an alarm is turned in by a person pulling down upon the pin 2.

The pull-bar 6 has its upper portion 7 jointed, so as to swing outward and downward at its upper end to admit of the door of the box l swinging outward when it is required to gain access to the interior thereof for any purpose. An expansible spring 8 surrounds the pull-bar 6 and is confined between the upper portion of the box and a stop 9, and this spring serves to move the bar 6 downward when released from the dctent or restraining means.

Any means may be provided for holding the pnllbar elevated against the tension of the spring 8, and, as shown, an arm l0, pivoted at one end, is adapt-ed to be engaged at its opposite end by means of a pin or stop 11, projected laterally from the releasing-lever l2. The holdin g-arm 10 is longitudinally slot ted, as shown at 13, and a pin lef, attached to the pull-bar, passes through the slot 13. This holding-arm when supporting the pullbar occupies a horizontal position. A light spring lat serves in a measure to return the holding-arm t0 a normal position when the bar 6 is lifted.

The releasing-lever 12 is vertically arranged and is pivotally supported near its lower end and is held with the stop or pin l1 in engagement with the holding-arm by means of a IOO stop 15, projected laterally from the armature-lever 1G, pivoted about midway of its holding-arm the instant the electromagnet 18 becomes demagnetized. The electromagnet 18 is in a closed circuit which is adapted to be broken in a variety of Ways, so as to turn in an alarm when required. One Way is to have the terminals of the Wire connected with spring-contacts 20 and 2l, inelosed in a box 22 and normally in Contact when the door of the box is closed and which separate to break the circuit the instant the door of the box 22 is opened. Another Way of interrupting the circuit through the electromagnet 18 is to extend the ends'of the Wire thereof and connect them with a push-button (not shown) locatedat any distance from Which it may be desired to send in an alarm without necessitating any one approaching the box for this purpose.

When the parts are set to automatically turnin an alarm, they occupy the position substantially as shown, the armature-lever being attracted by the electromagnet 18 against the tension of the spring 17. Upon interrupting the circuit through the electromagnet 18 in any of the Ways suggested the armature-leveiybeing no longer attracted, is acted upon by the spring 17, so as to Withdraw the slot 15 from engagement With the releasing-lever 12, and the latter, under the influence of the spring 19, moves so as to Withdraw the pin or stop 11 from the holding-arm 10, thereby releasing the pull-bar 6, Which moves downward by the action of the spring 8 and sends in an alarm in the mannerstated.

An alarm-bell 23 is located at the lower lefthand corner of the box and is adapted to be sounded by a projection 2i of the pull-bar striking an arm 25 of the sounding mechanism When the said bar is drawn down.

In some tire-alarm systems a push-button is provided to be pressed-upon to turn in anA alarm, and to adapt the invention for this type of apparatus the pull-bar is provided with a cam 2G to come in contact with the button 27 and effect a turningin of the alarm when the bar 6 is drawn down. f

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- 1. Ina tire-alarm system, and in combination with the alarm-box, a pull-bar, a triphook having pivotal connection with the pullbar, and having an end normally'extended in the path of the alarm-setting device, and actuating means for moving the pull-bar, a restraining mechanism for holding the pullbar in a normal position against the action of its operating mechanism, and a releasing mechanism for the said pull-bar including an armature-lever and electromagnet, substantially as set forth.

2. In a fire-alarm system, and in combination with the alarm-box, a pull-bar having an end portion extended in the path ot` the door by means of which access is had to the alarmbox, said extended portion being jointed to be turned aside, connecting means between the pull-bar and the alarm-setting mechanism, means for holding the pull-bar in a normal position, a releasing mechanism for the pull-bar and including an armature-lever and the electromagnet, substantially as set forth.

3. In a nre-alarm system, and in combination With an alarm-box having a pull-pin, a pull-bar, restraining and releasing mechanisms coperatively related thereto, and a triphook pivoted intermediate of its ends to the pull-bar and having its hooked end normally extended in the path of the aforesaid pullpin, and having a roller at its opposite end to effect a release of the trip-hook from the pullpin, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof We aftix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

DANIEL T. SPRING. [In 8.] ANDREV LONG. [1.. s]

Witnesses:

WILLIAM N. MARQUIS, CHARLES M. DITTMAR. 

